I grew up on the coast, so did a lot of sea fishing as a kid. Pollock, cod, sea bass, mackerel and conga eel- all good eating.

Our history and culture means that hunting is not widely practiced in the UK. Our gun laws are prohibitive, and historicaly, hunting was the preserve of the aristocracy, as all game animals belonged to the crown. Poaching was punishable by death. That class distinction in activity never went away, and now it is only the upper classes who tend to shoot- partridge, pheasant and Deer are the main animals, with carefully managed stock on private land being the only permissable targets. You have to pay a pretty penny for the privelidge as well.

Cant say as it bothers me much, i am the worst kind of hypocrite- I love steak, but couldnt kill a cow. To be honest, these days, I wouldnt even want to catch a fish. I cant take any pleasure in taking a life, as I wouldnt want anyone to take mine, and I dont see I have any more inherent right to mine than a squirrel in a tree.

Can't say I'm much of an outdoorsman. I did use to do a bit of small-game hunting with BB rifles when I was a kid. Fished once, actually enjoyed it. There is a great mountain bike trail I used to ride when I lived in Maryland, but now I mostly ride in the streets around my neighborhood.

_________________________"In case you ever wondered what it's like to be knocked out, it's like waking up from a nightmare only to discover it wasn't a dream." -Forrest Griffin

I enjoy hunting and fishing. For me it's usually deer, wild hogs, dove, quail, and javelina and if I fish, I only eat black drum, red drum, red snapper, and flounder. I won't touch fresh water fish and don't care much for cold water fish. It just doesn't taste right.

I was taught to shoot when I was 6. I started off with a little Daisy .22. and now shoot my dad's rifles when I get the chance. Those chances are becoming less and less since he started working in Pennsylvania. *SIGH* That's ok I think it's just hog/javelina season right now and I have plenty of that. Of course there is always "target practice" on critters like coyotes and road runners but you can do that only for so long before you get bored. Needless to say, the fall and winter are my favorite times of the year. Dove season will open soon (I believe it starts soon after Labor Day) and I can't wait! Hopefully my dad will be home a weekend that my husband is home so that I can get out with him and bag a few birds.

Casey

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"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."- Ronald Reagan

Fishing was the big thing for me when I was young. My father and all my relatives on his side hunt and fish (midwestern upbringing), and though I never took the hunting passion up, I have no problems with ethical hunting. And, btw, there are still folk who subsistence hunt in the States.

And like Cord, I do appreciate life--I have tossed spiders out of doors since I didn't want to kill them in the home. However, there is also a connection to that cycle of life if you do hunt and fish and eat what you obtain naturally. There is an inner meshing to the predator that we are with our canines and our stereoscopic vision being used for what they were meant...seeking prey. These weren't developed necessarily to jump on the hard to catch camaflouged turnip. And in such activities, you can remark upon connecting to life and your place in it when you do hunt and fish and are in the open where the scent of petro-chemical doesn't tickle your nose from the tail pipe of a passing automobile.

What's funny is that genetically we are all much the same, but the cultural allowance for native peoples who have hunted as part of their societal ways seems never to get the same arched eyebrow as someone who was brought up hunting, but expected to tailor his upbringing to a different cut of cultural cloth than those who enjoy the same endeavors, but can say this is the "way of my people." And so it is.

There are also philosophical choices to be made in this day and age where hunting isn't the necessity it once was for many, and though I don't want to pass judgement either way, there is something to be said for a rare steak and the depressing thought of having only endless bowls of oatmeal to measure out one's last, low cholesterol days.

oh, I understand the whole 'hunter gatherer' thing, but if I were to get all 'primitive', then I would get an alotment and cultivate basic crops. Somehow, that aspect of our early heritage is never embraced as quite as glamorous, yet growing something from the very earth itself is as vital a part of the human story as hunting, and does not involve the taking of an animals life.

Forget me, when I see a coyote or a fox, I see a domestic dog, and I get racked with guilt if I stand on a snail- that is a crunchy downer on my day.

As soon as they sort out organised hunting of human perpetrators of certain crimes, then you can sign me up for that

Afraid I'm a dissappointment to my hunting family and friends. I eat meat, and if I had to, would kill one of our layer chickens for dinner. But...I don't associate sport, or enjoy the thrill of an adrenaline dump, with killing.

The sheer joy of being outdoors, and enjoying nature, and cultivating our instinctual nature to hunt and observe nature...it's a birthright and necessary for our wellbeing. As a culture, we have become dissassociated with our sensory selves...and being in nature and interacting with those that live that life is good for us. 'Hunting' doesn't necessarily have to end with a kill to be of value.

I'll assign this response to both Cord and Harlan, though I have come to think of multiple replies in one post as somewhat a cyber faux pas. Interesting replies and thread.

Harlan, I quite agree with you that "killing" is not necessary in order to enjoy the natural environment that we have removed ourselves from. However, when hunting (or fishing) for food is concerned, the culmination of the act is to respect what we allow into our inner sanctum, food into our bodies, knowing how it was taken and how it was processed. The recognition of food and the actions that led to our having it really is missing from the context of the super-sized burger.

This disassociation of "meat" from the act of killing, I think, has been a disservice to a great many people who enjoy the savor of sausage, or like pepperoni on their pizza. We have disguised death as the necessity of life and as a natural consequence to obtaining our food. Who would be more appreciative of a hamburger, acknowledging the exact origins of that food, a hunter or a librarian in a metropolitan area who has never ventured out into the woods? Would those who consume so readily and easily be happy with how we slaughter food animals in specially designed buildings so that they can be cut up into bite sized morsels for the masses?

The point being, that looking death in the eye and knowing that you took this life to live acknowledges something in that chain of life which you are a part of, not separate from.

Per Cord, I think raising a food garden is commendable, but in many cases hunting and gathering go together, one supplementing the other, without separation of the two. The hunter is the gatherer; and though farming allows as much appreciation of life as anything else, it is one step removed from finding food in the wilderness, but does give understanding of the necessity of plant death for food. Most of the farmers I know do hunt. And they know exactly where there food comes from. In any case, it still doesn't take away from the fact that we developed as omnivores with all the right sensory parts adapted to hunting as much as for digging roots.

Are people aware that deer kill more people in the U.S. than any other animal? Usually by running out in the road,but population control is an issue. Not the deers fault, but we can't overlook the facts. I've always obeyed the rules and I don't kill critters for target practice or sport, I really think that's just wrong. There are also poachers to deal with. Some people spotlight deer at night or off season. Hunting on public land around here during deer season is just about suicidal!

Like Brad, I toss out crickets and spiders instead of killing them and I respect all life.

There have been wild hogs killed in Arkansas that weigh 500lbs or more and have 9inch tusks or longer! I'm not into hog hunting, but I accidentally stumbled on some while squirrel hunting once and ended up spending some time in a tree.

I have lots of outdoor memories, some good and some not so good.

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The2nd ammendment, it makes all the others possible. <///<